Housing for traveling clocks



Dec. 29, 1964 K. 0. SCHMIDT HOUSING FOR TRAVELING CLOCKS File d Jan. 28, 1963 INVENTOR KARL OTTO SCHMIDT ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3 Claims. to]. sin-s The present invention relates to a housing for traveling clocks.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a traveling clock, wherein the inner carrying frame work and two of its side walls consist of a single integral part made of artificial material by die casting or by pressure forming, While all other parts, as the cover, clock housing and wall covers are pivotally connected with each other and surround this single part of artificial material in jacketdike form, without being connected with this part but in a self-connecting elastic manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a traveling clock which permits easy manufacture, since all metal parts are made merely of edged sheet material.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the traveling clock, designed in accordance with the present invention, in open position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the traveling clock, however, in closed position;

FIG. 3 is a section along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective top view of the single integral form part;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section of the clock indicating the closing means for the housing; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary end view of the form part.

Referring now to the drawing, the traveling clock comprises a carrying plate 1 for the clock and a cover 2, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the carrying plate 1 and the cover 2 are in a lifted position in the open position of the clock.

The rear end of the carrying plate 1 has an angular edge formation 3 and the front end of the cover 2 has a complementary edge formation 4, which edge formations 3 and 4 maintain the housing in open position, upon engagement of the edge formations 3 and 4.

The front end of the carrier plate 1 is equipped with a hinge 5 adapted to cooperate with the edge formation 4 of the cover 2.

The carrying plate 1 and the cover 2 are mounted on a bottom member 8 having a front wall 6 and a rear wall 60.

An integral frame work 7, preferably of artificial material, is inserted into the bottommember 8 and has a layer of sponge material.

A hinge 1.1 is provided in a rear wall 6a of the bottom member d and a hinge 12 is secured to the front wall 6 of the bottom member 8. The hinge 11 secures the rear end of the cover 2 and the hinge 12 secures the front end of the carrying plate ii.

A spring 16 of angular shape is disposed between the bottom 8 and the frame work 7 and forms an upper curved end to operate as closing button in cooperation with the front end of the cover 2.

The mounting of the traveling clock is performed in the following manner:

Upon connecting the rear and front hinges 11 and 12 of the bottom member 8 with the cover 2 and the carrying plate 1, respectively, the bottom member 8 slides over the 3,162,997 Patented Dec. 29, 1964 integral form part 7. Since the front and rear walls 6 and 6a of the bottom member 8 have a pretension, the hinges 11 and 12 snap over the top edges 10 and 10a of the form part 7 and secure the latter to the bottom member. The side members 9 of the form part 7 have a set-off 9 along their periphery to receive the cover 2, and the bottom member 3 with its front and rear walls 6 and 6a. In order to avoid a rattling of the winding grip 14 of the clock, the form part 7 has a circular recess 13 in which the layer 15 of sponge material is received to engage the bottom member 8.

The arresting of the cover 2 in its closed position is brought about such, that the angular formation 4 of the cover 2 snaps over the hinge 5 of the carrying plate 1.

The opening of the housing takes place by pushing the button 16 (FIGS. 2 and 5), the button 16 consisting of a spring metal strip as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawing and secured without any securing means, rather by clamping the same between the form part 7 and the front wall 6 of the bottom member 8 during the mounting of the traveling clock. The form part 7 has for this purpose a recess 17 In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a catch spring (not shown) of conventional structure can be provided, preferably at the hinge 12, which catch spring lifts automatically, upon pressing the button 16, the carrying plate 1 and the cover 2, in which case, however, the angular edge formation 3 is received in the angular edge formation 4, by reversing the relative position, as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing.

While I have disclosed two embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by the objects and the claims.

I claim:

1. A housing for traveling clocks comprising an integral, inner form part of synthetic material having a bottom wall, a front wall, a rear wall and two oppositely disposed side walls of a greater height than that of said front and rear walls,

a bottom member having upwardly extending front and rear walls pretensioned toward each other of a height substantially identical with that of the front and rear walls of said inner form part and surrounding said bottom wall and said front and rear walls of said inner form part,

a first hinge secured to the top of said front wall of said bottom member,

a second hinge secured to the top of said rear wall of said bottom member,

said integral, inner form part being received in and retained by said bottom member by said pretensioned front and rear walls thereof,

a carrying plate adapted to receive a clock and hingedly connected to said first hinge of said bottom member,

a cover having a top wall and integral front and rear walls and being hingedly connected to said second hinge of said bottom member and following substantially the top edge and the front and rear edges of said walls of said inner form part,

means disposed on the bottom of the front wall of said cover and at the rear of said carrying plate for re position, and

means for opening said housing.

2. The housing, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bottom member, said cover and said carrying plate are made of edged sheet metal.

3. The housing, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for opening said housing comprises a strip of spring metal disposed between said bottom memher and said integral form part and projecting up- 3 Wardly therefrom, the upper end of said strip engaging said cover, so that upon exerting pressure upon said upper end of said strip, said cover is released.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/51 Ingraham 2061 8 10/53 Verde 20618 4/57 Dinstman 20645.18

5/ 60 Mitchell et al 2204 2/ 61 Simons 20665 6/62 Phipps 2065 FOREIGN PATENTS 8 31 Switzerland, 5/50 France.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE J. DRUMMOND, Examiner. 

1. A HOUSING FOR TRAVELING CLOCKS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL, INNER FORM PART OF SYNTHETIC MATERIAL HAVING A BOTTOM WALL, A FRONT WALL, A REAR WALL AND TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED SIDE WALLS OF A GREATER HEIGHT THAN THAT OF SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, A BOTTOM MEMBER HAVING UPWARDLY EXTENDING FRONT AND REAR WALLS PRETENSIONED TOWARD EACH OTHER OF A HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL WITH THAT OF THE FRONT AND REAR WALLS OF SAID INNER FORM PART AND SURROUNDING SAID BOTTOM WALL AND SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS OF SAID INNER FORM PART, A FIRST HINGE SECURED TO THE TOP OF SAID FRONT WALL OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, A SECOND HINGE SECURED TO THE TOP OF SAID REAR WALL OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, SAID INTEGRAL, INNER FORM PART BEING RECEIVED IN AND RETAINED BY SAID BOTTOM MEMBER BY SAID PRETENSIONED FRONT AND REAR WALLS THEREOF, A CARRYING PLATE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CLOCK AND HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST HINGE OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, A COVER HAVING A TOP WALL AND INTEGRAL FRONT AND REAR WALLS AND BEING HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND HINGE OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER AND FOLLOWING SUBSTANTIALLY THE TOP EDGE AND THE FRONT AND REAR EDGES OF SAID WALLS OF SAID INNER FORM PART, MEANS DISPOSED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRONT WALL OF SAID COVER AND AT THE REAR OF SAID CARRYING PLATE FOR REPOSITION, AND MEANS FOR OPENING SAID HOUSING. 